Fantasy House

"Might I interest either of you in a cup of tea?" Andromeda asked politely as she indicated where the two young men should sit.



Harry and Ron took their seats. "Thank you, Mrs. Tonks," Ron said, graciously taking a cup.



Harry shook his head. "No, thank you, Mrs. Tonks. I\'m not really thirsty at the moment."



The raven haired man was having a difficult time dealing with the idea that Andromeda could have anything to do with the disappearances. She had always seemed like a really nice lady to him. She loved Remus like a son. It just didn\'t make sense.



"How are the two of you? How is your home life?" she asked, taking a seat opposite them.



Harry pursed his lips. "If you don\'t mind, Mrs. Tonks, I would much rather skip the pleasantries. Ron and I are on an important investigation and we really don\'t have the time."



"Of course," she said. "My apologies."



She watched them both expectantly, and for a moment, neither man spoke. Finally, Ron looked at his friend and sighed, "This is ridiculous, Harry. You know as well as I do that she wouldn\'t be part--"



"Mrs. Tonks, where were you the night Remus disappeared?" Harry asked directly, watching her expression closely.



Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Remus went off to the mainland to visit--"



"Cut it," Harry demanded gruffly. "I don\'t mean to be rude, but you know as well as I do that that\'s a load of codswallop."



"Harry."



"No, Ron," the bespectacled man interrupted. "We came here for answers and I want some." He kept his eyes fixed on Andromeda. "Ron and I recently visited the Malfoys\' flat in London, did you know? While there, we found a mug with your lipstick imprinted upon the rim. I would like you to explain what your lipstick was doing in that flat."



Andromeda sat up straight and squared her shoulders. For a moment, one could see the resemblance between her and her younger sister. "I do not know what you\'re talking about, Mr. Potter, and I would appreciate it if you did not use that tone with me. I am much older and much wiser than you are."



"Bollocks," Harry growled. "You know as well as I that age is just a number. Wisdom comes with experience, not years. Remus has been gone for far too long to be visiting a friend on the continent. So, where is he? What has happened to him?"



She was quiet for a moment, and Harry feared she would not answer. He could see she was considering what he had said and was thinking of an explanation. Just as he was getting ready to interrupt her, fearing that she would lie, she spoke up.



"As I\'ve said before, Mr. Potter, Remus is on the mainland with some friends," she told him carefully. "I don\'t know when he\'ll return, or even if he\'ll return."



His eyes narrowed suspiciously as Harry questioned, "What was your lipstick doing in the Malfoys\' flat?"



She pinched her lips together. "For that, I can make no excuse. My sister and I visited Draco\'s flat because she wished to put away some... things," she answered, meeting his gaze.



"Narcissa?" he asked.



She nodded. "I knew I should have washed my mug, but I assumed one of the house elves would do it. If you\'ve been to their flat, then I assume you found it very... clean, Mr. Potter. Lucius, from what I know, is a stickler for cleanliness, much like my Remus. Of course, Severus is much more like your best friend, Miss Granger, if I remember her correctly. Always prudent about putting things in their proper place, correct?"



Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ron. The red head\'s eyes were wide as he took in the things Andromeda said, or rather, didn\'t say. Then, Harry turned back to the aging matriarch. "What aren\'t you telling us?" he asked.



She gave him a small smile and stood up. "That, Mr. Potter," she said as she walked to the door and opened it for them, "is something you\'ll have to discover on your own. But I know you, sir. You defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a boy. Surely something as simple as a few missing people won\'t be that difficult a case to crack."



(II) (II)



Harry and Ron were lounging in Harry\'s study, thinking over the things Andromeda had told them. "She knows more than she\'s letting on," Ron commented as he took a sip of his brandy.



"You think?" Harry agreed. "Did you see the way she kept looking away from us? Like she was afraid someone would step out of the shadows and pounce on her for talking. There\'s more going on here than we think."



"Well, we know one thing," Ron said, getting up and going to the liquor cabinet. "Narcissa is most certainly behind the disappearances. She planted that stuff in the Malfoys\' flat. Andromeda told us as much."



"\'Remus is on the mainland with some friends,\'" Harry repeated the earlier comment from Andromeda. He mulled it over in his mind a bit more. "I think they are together. He, Sirius, and Hermione. Maybe all six of them."



"\'With some friends.\' They have to be together, Harry," Ron pointed out. "Remus hasn\'t got many friends. No offense to him, but he is a werewolf. He had been spending a lot of time with Hermione before the disappearances."



"With Sirius as well," Harry said. "If I remember right, he had even taken to trying to visit Snape every once in a while."



Ron shook his head. "No, he tried to visit Snape once and nearly got hexed in the process. Since then, he had been steering clear of Snape\'s house."



The bespectacled young man nodded as he turned to the contents found in the Malfoys\' flat. He took out the stack of paperwork and began going through them. As he searched them, things started to make even less sense.



Seeing his friend\'s confusion, Ron moved to help go through the stack.



Hours passed and both men were even more confused than before. They had found receipts for what could only be bondage gear as well as receipts for various kinds of plants. Ron\'s eyes widened at one of the plants. "Devil\'s Snare? What would they want with Devil\'s Snare?"



Harry gasped as he snatched the receipt out of Ron\'s hand. He shook his head, remembering what Andromeda had said about the possibility of Remus not returning. It dawned on him that the disappearances were likely more sinister than they had previously thought. "I\'m not certain, but I think we are running out of time," he said, glancing up at his friend in fear.



(III) (III)



"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed as she felt herself climax.



Her eyes shut and her body curved upwards towards Severus. The man grunted his own climax and emptied himself into her. Exhausted, they both collapsed onto the bed.



"That was..."



"Incredible," Hermione finished, wrapping her arms around the Potions master.



She glanced over to Draco and gave him a lazy smile that he returned. Then he closed his eyes as Sirius began sucking on him harder.



"Yes!" the blond hissed. "Harder! Not much... not much further..."



Hermione and Severus watched as Draco came into Sirius\' mouth. Severus turned back to Hermione and met her gaze.



She could see happiness in his eyes, but also sadness. It had been almost two months since they had found the weak spot. The spot was almost large enough for Hermione to climb through.



The plan was simple. Once the hole was large enough, Sirius and Severus would distract Zabini by performing for him. They would put on a grand show, followed not long after by Lucius and Draco. The four men loathed the idea, but they knew it was necessary. They must keep Zabini distracted long enough for Hermione to get away.



No one had any idea where they were or even what time of the year it was. Hermione guessed it was early spring, but there was no way of knowing for certain. The grounds outside the house remained in perfect summer weather.



While the four men were busy keeping Zabini entertained, Remus and Hermione would gather two or three towels and then he would help her through the hole. She would run to the nearest home or building and get help. It didn\'t matter if they were in a Muggle area or not. All that mattered was for her to get help as quickly as possible.



They knew that once the men were finished, Zabini would notice her disappearance and realize that he had been duped. They didn\'t know what would happen, but knew it wouldn\'t be good. They already knew he had it in him to take away food. It was possible he could kill them all in a day. There would be very little time.



"I love you," Severus whispered, bringing Hermione back to the present.



She gasped at his words. "Severus..."



"You don\'t have to say it back," he told her. "But I felt I needed to say it. I made that mistake with Lily. I never told her... I wanted you to know."



She gently pushed him off of her and bit back the coming tears. She knew what he was trying to do. "I won\'t let you say it, Severus," she said. "We\'ll be all right. When we get out of here... when enough time has passed... then we can proclaim our love for one another."



Sirius and Draco looked at the couple on the bed. "What do you mean?" Sirius asked, frowning.



Hermione shook her head. "I mean, none of this is real," she told him. "Don\'t you see? I mean, some things are obvious. Draco will always love his father and Lucius will always love his son. You and Remus will always love one another because you\'ve been best friends since Hogwarts. But the rest of this..."



"Are you dismissing my feelings?" Severus sneered, glaring at the girl.



"No," she quickly replied. "I\'m just saying that we shouldn\'t rush into such things. Not until we are out of here, at least. Besides, regardless of our feelings, there\'s not much we can do here. So, what\'s the point?"



"The point is that it needs to be said," Severus responded. "If we deny this..."



She placed a hand on his arm. "What good will it do, Severus? You love me. How is that going to help at this time? I don\'t mean to be crass, but we have to put things in perspective. Sirius, Draco, Remus, or Lucius could say the same thing to me. You could all mean it, too. But what good does it do? It won\'t get us out of here any quicker. And what about when we do get out? What happens then? One man for one woman, Severus. How could I choose?"



Severus\' eyes hardened as her words sank in. "I suppose it\'s a lot easier to choose who to give your virginity to, isn\'t it? It\'s much easier to decide who to fuck each day," he growled.



"You\'re being unreasonable," Hermione protested in surprise. She stared at him a moment. "Let\'s just focus on what needs to be done at the moment, ok? Once we\'ve been released, once we are all safe, then we can talk about the future. We can exchange our \'I love you\'s and decide what happens next. Our main priority is giving Zabini what he wants so we can leave. I don\'t want to grow old in this house. I want children someday."



Sirius wrinkled his nose. "That day may be closer than you think, Hermione," he said, pointing to the floor.



Confused, Hermione looked down at the spot he was pointing to. That\'s when she noticed the blood. But there wasn\'t just blood on the floor or down her legs. Severus looked shocked when he noticed the blood on his penis.



"No," Hermione whispered before dashing into the living room.



"Zabini!" she screamed, anger filling her eyes. "Zabini!"



The television clicked on and Zabini\'s face appeared on the screen. "By now the six of you should have realized the nice little gift I\'ve given to our dear Hermione," he said, bypassing his usual greeting. "I do hope you all enjoy it. Though, I will caution: it is not just pregnancy all of you should worry about now. In case you haven\'t noticed, a certain hairy creature is slowly becoming more possessive of our dear girl. I hope no one has fucked her before and since she started bleeding. The consequences could be... deadly."



Hermione\'s eyes widened as the screen went black. She realized the implications of what Zabini had done more quickly than the three men did. Eyes wide with alarm, she grabbed Severus\' arm. "You have to run," she told him. "Go into your lab and stay there. The full moon is tonight! Remus will..."



Understanding dawned on the Potions master and he did as he was told quickly. As he reached the lab, a thought occurred to him and he grabbed a fresh batch of Wolfsbane from the shelves and went to the door. "Hermione!" he called his voice urgent.



She ran to the lab. "I cannot be here, Severus," she said, afraid for them all. "Remus is due back any moment!"



The Potions master gave her the bottles of Wolfsbane. "Give him those. I know it won\'t stop his rage, but it will help. It\'ll lessen it," he explained. "Make sure the other men are far from you tonight and the next few nights. He\'s not safe."



He wanted to tell her that she was not safe. He wanted to convince her to stay with him, so he could protect her. Yet, he knew she would not welcome the suggestion. So, he kissed her forehead and said, "Be careful."



Hermione nodded and took the bottles from him before slamming the door shut. She heard furniture moving in the lab and surmised that Severus was propping the tables against the door. She hoped it would be enough.



She went back into the living room and placed the bottles on the table, and then she ran into the bathroom for a quick shower. She wanted to clean up as much of the blood as she could, and to wash away the scent of her recent sexual encounter with Severus, hoping it would help prevent Remus from attacking Severus. Not that it would do much good. She had no way of stopping the flow.



"Hermione," she heard Sirius call from the other side of the door.



"Go, Sirius," she ordered. "You and Draco find Lucius and go someplace safe. Leave me with Remus. It\'s not safe for the three of you."



"What about you?" Sirius asked. "Hermione, he\'s a were--"



"I know what he is!" she snapped. "He won\'t hurt me. He considers me his mate. But you three. And Severus..." her voice cracked as she thought of these men who had become dear to her being in danger. She cleared her throat before continuing in a firm tone. "We can\'t take any chances. You have to go."



"There is no place to go," Draco protested.



Her mind was in overdrive from near panic and she shouted, "Go into one of the rooms. Let the door lock behind you. Just stay away... Please, Draco!"



On the other side of the door, Sirius and Draco shared a look. The only way a door would lock is if there were two people in a room who hadn\'t had sex before. If they went into a room with Lucius, the door would lock, but Lucius and Draco would have to have sex before it would unlock.



As he considered their dilemma, an idea crossed Sirius\' mind and he nodded to Draco. "I\'m going to go into the kitchen and get a few bottles of water and some dry food. Find your father and meet me in the library."



Draco nodded and the two parted ways. Sirius went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a six pack of water, three cans of peaches, a bag of crisps, and a box of cereal. It wasn\'t much, but it should last them three days. Sirius wasn\'t planning on staying with the two.



Being an Animagus had its advantages. He could easily change into his dog form and stay out of the werewolf\'s way. Though he did not think Remus would attack him, Sirius was still a male, and there was always the chance that Remus would see Sirius as a rival, after Hermione, whether in dog form or as a man.



(IV) (IV)



Draco found Remus and Lucius throwing sticks and pebbles at the barrier. He approached them, trying to be as casual as possible.



"Father? Sirius wants to see us both for a moment," he said, trying not to look at the two men. He did not want them to catch on to his fear, though he was certain Remus could smell it.



Draco never was the brave type and knowing what he now knew, he was quite scared. If Remus caught a whiff of Hermione\'s blood, there was no telling what the werewolf would do.



Lucius continued throwing sticks at the spot. "Tell him I\'ll be there in a moment."



Draco glanced up and shook his head. He grabbed his father\'s arm. "No, he said it was urgent and to not take \'no,\' for an answer," he pressed.



Lucius gazed down at where his son held his arm and allowed his eyes to wander up to his son\'s face. Confusion was written in Lucius\' eyes as he saw the fear. "What\'s wrong?" he asked.



Draco slowly shook his head. "We found something that you might find interesting, but you have to be there to see it."



Remus dropped his stick. "Perhaps I should go as well," he suggested.



"No!" the young man shouted too loudly and too quickly.



Both men stared at him in suspicion and alarm. Lucius could only remember one other time his son had ever sounded so desperate. Draco straightened and lowered his voice, "I mean, no, that won\'t be necessary, Remus. He just wanted to see my father and me. You have to take your potion still. Severus left it on the living room table for you."



Now Remus was even more suspicious. "Why didn\'t he just bring me the potion as he always does?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed.



Draco failed at feigning nonchalance. "He had his reasons, I\'m sure," he responded, though he knew Remus did not buy it.



"Are you sure everything is all right, Draco?" the werewolf inquired, alert.



The Slytherin tried to smile, but it came out forced. "Everything is fine," he answered, swallowing. "We just... Father? Sirius really wants you there now."



Lucius nodded and started towards the house. "You will explain yourself, Draco," he stated.



"We\'ll explain everything in a moment. I told Sirius we would meet him in the library," the younger Malfoy replied.



Lucius stopped in his tracks. "We can\'t go into the library, son," he said, looking at Draco in surprise. "You do realize what will happen if we go into the library, correct?"



Draco grabbed his father\'s arm again and pulled him to the house. "We haven\'t a choice," he whispered. "The full moon is tonight and Hermione is in heat."



(V) (V)



Remus entered the house at dusk. Though he was concerned about Draco\'s obvious fear, he also knew the importance of opening that hole. He knew the others would be pleased with the progress he and Lucius had made. The hole was wide enough to fit Hermione through. Once the full moon was over, they would be able to proceed with their plans and, hopefully, leave the godforsaken house.



He found his potion on the coffee table, like Draco had said, and drank the foul liquid. He still did not understand why Severus did not give him the potion himself. Sure Remus was always a bit ornery this time of the month. Maybe Severus had sex with Hermione?



He shook his head at that thought. Even if it were true, that wouldn\'t really explain Severus\' reluctance-- it wouldn\'t be the first time Severus had given Remus the potion right after the Potions master had had sex with the girl.



"Moony?" asked Sirius as he walked into the living room.



Remus nodded to his friend. "What was that all about earlier with Draco? He seemed scared to death. Where is everyone anyway?"



"Hermione is still in the shower," Sirius explained. "Draco and Lucius are locked away in one of the rooms. Snape... well, I don\'t know where he is. I\'m going to transform into my dog form and stay that way until after the third moon has passed. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."



Now Remus was worried. It wasn\'t like the others to act this way, as if they were afraid of him, full moon or not. They had been in this house for months and everything had been fine. Everyone took his transformations in stride and managed to remain on his good side.



He didn\'t get a chance to question Sirius, however, for the man changed into his dog form and Remus felt himself start to change into a wolf. It was agonizing, as always, but even more so when he thought his fellow housemates feared him for some unknown reason.



He howled out his pain as his mouth elongated into a snout and his fingernails became claws. Canines grew painfully in his mouth as fur sprouted all over his body. Tears would have flown freely if they could have as his ears were forced upward to the top of his head.



As quickly as it started, the transformation was complete. With wolfish eyes, he glanced at his best friend and tilted his head a bit.



That was when he caught the scent. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He hadn\'t smelled anything that divine since... Well, he couldn\'t remember a time when anything had smelled so wonderful.



His Hermione. The woman he loved. She was ready for him.



He placed his nose against the floor and began sniffing for her. She had been in the shower, Sirius had told him. Perhaps she was still there?



"Remus?" he heard.



The werewolf looked up and he saw her. His nostrils were assaulted with her scent as she stood timidly in the hallway. He could feel the blood pumping hard in his body as he approached her. He told his mind to be careful. She was female and human. She was frail. It wouldn\'t do to harm her.



He licked her cheek and whined softly. She smelled too wonderful. He needed to be inside of her. He needed to feel her, to mate with her.



"Let\'s go into the living room," she suggested.



He allowed her to lead him into the living room, but they did not make it to the couch. He gave a soft growl and pushed her gently with his shoulder, effectively knocking her down. He would have to remember to apologize to her later; he had forgotten his own strength.



He panted as she assumed the proper mating position. Without preamble, he mounted and penetrated her. He held her hips, careful not to scratch her, as he fucked her. He did not dare consider this a loving moment, even if he kept his human mind. This was all instinct, animal instinct, to mate and procreate.



He mated with her several more times, in hopes that his seed would catch. He did not understand what had happened: what made her go into heat?



Remus shook his head. He had to remember that she was human, therefore, she was beginning her menstrual cycle. Zabini must have removed the spell Andromeda had placed on her to keep her from becoming pregnant.



He couldn\'t bring his wolf mind to care about it so much. After all, she belonged to him. She was his mate. Yet, his human mind couldn\'t help but worry for her.



It was during their third tie that he was able to catch a faint whiff of something else, something he hadn\'t smelled before. His nose wrinkled at the smell, but he did not know what it was. The moment the couple was released from the tie, he began following the scent.



Hermione fell to the floor, spent from the most recent bout. She knew he would be ready again in a moment, but she felt him leave and looked up. He was heading towards the bedroom.



"Remus," she called, trying to get his attention.



He did not respond, but continued on his trail. Hermione and Sirius had taken the sheets and put them in the tub to soak, making sure to close the door. She remembered Sirius expressing some concern over the small stain on the floor in the bedroom, but she had dismissed it. Surely Remus wouldn\'t pick up on that.



He had. The werewolf found the spot on the bedroom floor and continued to sniff at it while his mind worked to figure out who the scent belonged to. He picked up Hermione\'s scent easily enough. The other, it only took him seconds to discover. A growl issued from his throat as he realized what had happened.



Severus had mated with Hermione.



Remus\' human brain fought for control as his wolf mind became angry. Severus did not know Hermione had gone into heat. How could he have known? Severus was human, not wolf. But he should have known. He should have been able to smell the blood with that huge nose of his. There was no reason, no excuse. Severus knew who Hermione belonged to! Knew she was Remus\' mate!



A snarl escaped the werewolf\'s muzzle as he began sniffing out Severus. He would find the Potions master and rip his heart out. He would devour the man\'s genitals and intestines. Maybe he would leave the brain for Sirius to chew on?



"Remus," Hermione said, more fervently, touching his shoulder. "Remus, listen to me."



The werewolf twisted out of her grasp as he followed Severus\' scent back down the hallway. Why hadn\'t he smelled it before? The man\'s dripping cock was all over the place!



"Remus, please, you\'re not in the right state of mind," the girl begged, but the wolf ignored her.



Another spot of blood. It came right from Severus\' cock, Remus knew. The wolf\'s eyes narrowed as his growls grew louder, his lips pulled back in a snarl. He continued until he reached the kitchen.



A large black dog stood in the doorway. The dog and wolf stared at one another. Remus knew the Potions master was just beyond the doorway, further into the kitchen and into the Potions lab. But the dog. The dog was Remus\' friend.



Hours passed and neither creature moved. They just stared at one another.



As dawn approached, Remus could feel his body begin to transform. His snout flattened and became more human. His fur disappeared and hair sprouted atop his head. His ears righted themselves.



Still, he stared at the dog, even as his mind became mostly human again. "Sirius," he whispered hoarsely.



The dog changed back into a human, and Sirius stared at his best friend. There was no remorse in his eyes as he said, "I had to protect him."



"No, you didn\'t," Remus argued softly. "She belongs to me. She\'s mine. He touched her."



"We\'ve all touched her," the Animagus pointed out.



The werewolf snarled as he pushed his best friend full force in the chest. "Not while she was in heat!"



"In heat?" Sirius sneered, standing his ground. "She\'s not a bitch, Moony, she\'s a human!"



"She\'s mine!"



Anger clouded Remus\' eyes as he turned from Sirius. He grabbed Hermione by the upper arm and picked her up, letting her fall over his shoulder. Before either Hermione or Sirius could protest, Remus ran into the bedroom and slammed the door. He threw Hermione onto the bed.



"Remus," she said, trying to get his attention.



But he wasn\'t listening. He turned to the spot where he had smelled her and Severus and tore at the flooring there.



"Remus!" she shouted in alarm. "Remus, stop!"



"I have to get rid of it!" he insisted. "It stinks. It has to go."



"Remus."



"I have to dig it out. It can\'t be there. I won\'t let it be there."



"Remus!" Hermione grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.



Her eyes widened when she saw the mad look in his eyes. Then, she slapped him across the face.



Snarling, he reared back to return the favour, but before he could, understanding rushed over him. "Hermione," he whispered.



His wolf mind vanished and he could feel the guilt welling up inside of him as he realized what he had almost done. "Oh, God, Hermione."



She pulled him into a hug as he began sobbing. "Shh, shh," she cooed. "It\'s okay. It\'s over."



When his sobs subsided, he pulled away from her and looked at her. "I am so sorry," he told her. "I never meant... I would never hurt..."



She nodded. "I know, I know," she assured him. "This should not have happened. Zabini changed the rules on us. He removed the spell."



"Why?"



"I don\'t know," she answered honestly. "I really hope Andromeda is all right."



He nodded. "Where are Lucius and Draco?" he asked. "I know Severus is in his lab..."



She shook her head. "I don\'t know. Sirius was supposed to stay with them, but he wanted to stay out. Once he had them secured, he told me that he wanted to make sure that you didn\'t get to Severus. Apparently, Severus\' barrier isn\'t strong enough against you."



Remus nodded again and looked to the door. "I think the Malfoys are safe from me. I didn\'t pick up their scents in my wolf form, nor did I focus on them. Perhaps it\'s better, though, that they are hiding. I assume they are in one of the rooms."



"I think so," she replied. "All the doors are shut though. Sirius said to keep them shut so your wolf form couldn\'t easily guess."



He threw her a half smile. "I assure you, darling, if my wolf form decides to hunt Malfoy, he\'ll know which door they are behind. Moony\'s sense of smell is too highly developed. Sirius knows this."



"Which is why he stayed out," she surmised, snapping her fingers. "He feels he can protect them better out here than he can being locked up."



Remus shrugged. "I still would like to know why he wanted to protect Severus. He hates the man."



"Not enough to see him dead," Sirius said, opening the bedroom door and leaning against the frame.



The lycanthrope peered up at his best friend. "You would\'ve done years ago."



"That was years ago," Sirius stated with a slight lift of his shoulders. "I was a boy and I hadn\'t spent several months locked in a house with the man. I still can\'t stand the bugger, but I don\'t want him dead. And I really don\'t want to see him changed into a werewolf."



Hermione\'s eyes widened. "Then he\'d really become a recluse," she said.



Sirius frowned. "If that\'s the case, maybe I should let Remus bite him..."



"Sirius!" Hermione and Remus reprimanded at the same time.



The Animagus shrugged. "It was just a thought."



"Well, don\'t think along those lines," Hermione scolded. "It\'s bad enough Remus is a werewolf; do you really want to have that hang over your best friend\'s head? Can\'t you see he struggles with it enough? For him to turn another into a werewolf..."



"All right, all right," Sirius said, raising his hands up in surrender. "I\'m sorry I said it. I didn\'t really think the comment through."



"Apparently," the girl huffed.



Suddenly, Remus remembered what had happened yesterday and his face brightened. "Speaking of thinking things through," he said, looking from Hermione to Sirius. "It\'s done. I finished yesterday after Lucius left."



A large smile spread across Hermione\'s face, and she kissed Remus on the lips. When they pulled away, she let her smile slip. "Now we just have to finish it," she said.



"We\'ll have to wait until after the full moon passes," Sirius told them both. "Draco and Lucius aren\'t doing anything until they are certain Remus won\'t attack them. And I know Snape won\'t leave his cave until it\'s safe."



Hermione and Remus both nodded.



Everything was quiet for a moment. The three Gryffindors allowed their minds to wander to the task ahead, each thinking of what was expected of them, each knowing the end was drawing close.



A loud clattering made them all jump and run towards the kitchen.